Reactant
by NearlyNear
Summary: Mello will do anything to get a reaction out of Near, whether it be good or bad. Currently in progress, updating whenever I have time! Nothing too bad yet! The M rating is for later.
1. Chapter 1

'Stupid Matt and his stupid video games… Who is supposed to keep me entertained if his face is glued to some dumb new game?' The blond stormed down the halls of the orphanage, Wammy's House, moody and slightly defeated after having been kicked out of Matt's room by the video game playing jerk. He passed his own room, not in the mood for doing the civil thing and taking a moment to "calm down" as it would be advised for someone with his temper to do. Mello passed Near's room, that know-it-all twit was likely sitting in the floor playing with his damn robots. Only thing he was good for was to kick around.

Mello froze, grinning widely as it dawned on him, that was exactly what he needed. He turned on his heels, making his way back to Near's bedroom door, leaning against it and listening, listening for any sign that Near might have some kind of rare company. Silence met him and he turned the knob, striding on in as if it was _his_ room, shutting the door behind him, locking it for good measure. The small child was easy to find, all stark white from head to toe, hair just as white as his clothes. Near didn't even look up at him at first and Mello could feel his eye twitch. He was right, damn baby was lying on the floor playing with robots and building a tower out of dice. Mello didn't waste his breath speaking to him to get his attention, just walked over and grabbed him by that feather-soft white hair, yanking his head back so that those onyx eyes were locked in on his own blue eyes. "Hey there you damn baby." He grinned maliciously at the younger boy who starred up at him with a complete lack of interest, no emotion on that porcelain doll-face of his.

"Mello is in the wrong room it would seem." He spoke in that typical monotone-Near voice that drove Mello up a fucking wall.

"No. Sorry, this is _exactly_ where I meant to end up. Matt is being a fucking loser again so I figured, 'Why not kick around my favourite little twit?'" Mello laughed, pulling a chocolate bar out of his coat pocket, snapping a piece of it off with his teeth. He examined Near's face for any sign of emotion.. Still nothing. "Don't have anything to say Near?" The blond sneered, pulling back on Near's hair a little harder.

"Is there anything I could say at this point that would make you leave me alone? The answer is no, as usual, so why bother? You won't get a reaction out of me, Mello. You are just like any other bully, if you never get a reaction you will eventually leave me alone." Near reached up to grasp a few strands of soft, white hair, gently curling them around his finger. This only served to make Mello even angrier and it was no surprise when he threw Near down onto his back and straddled him, punching his shoulder hard, only once before getting a hold of himself. He sat there, fist clenched over his head as if to strike Near again. It never happened. Mello lowered his fist slowly, knowing Near had gotten the best of him yet again, managing to further infuriate him with little more than a few monotonous words.

Mello stood abruptly, wanting to be anywhere but under the scrutiny of those cold, calculating eyes. "You're getting off easy today you little bastard. Don't think I'll go easy on you ever again though." He gave Near a half-hearted kick before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind himself. This time he retired to his own room, painted in a mid-tone grey (as dark as roger would allow), and threw himself onto his soft bed, staring up at the ceiling in frustration. Mello took the silent moment to ponder why he let himself be bothered by that big-headed twit of a "child prodigy." The boy was always one step ahead of him so it seemed, it had to be that.

' _You won't get a reaction out of me, Mello'_ Near had said that and it had been true.. This time. Those were dangerous words, Near hadn't realized that, or maybe he had, either way it was a challenge. Mello never backed down from a challenge and definitely not one from his know-it-all rival.

* * *

Once Mello had left the room and a second door had been slammed, signaling he had returned to his own room, Near gingerly pulled himself up into a sitting position, touching his shoulder to see how it felt after being struck by Mello. It stung, not too badly, it would bruise, but that was the extent of the damage. He wondered what had set Mello off like that so suddenly, it was a given that Mello would hurt him eventually when he showed up in one of his moods but it typically took more than a few words to get him to that point. Near sighed, looking at the partially destroyed tower of dice beside him, knocked over by his own foot when Mello threw him onto his back, or perhaps when he yanked him up by his hair. It didn't really matter and he wasn't inclined to rebuild it so the dice went back to safety of their box. The robots were moved to Near's bed, one held tightly as he laid down, the others standing guard around him.

It was late when Near woke up, stirred out of a restless sleep by the sound of a shower being turned on. He sat up, looking around the dark room for nothing in particular before turning his bed-side lamp on and moving to scoot his small body off the bed. No point in remaining in bed, he was awake now and would remain that way until the noise of the shower stopped. Near stretched, a small yawn escaping him as he did so. "Isn't that cute." Mello's voice stopped him from getting up, startling him just slightly. What was Mello doing in his room this late and why hadn't Near noticed him? The albino looked back at the older boy quickly, he was standing in the corner of the room, watching Near with the same malicious grin from before. It sent chills down Near's spine but he refused to squirm under the discomforting gaze. He wouldn't let Mello see how much it bothered him.

"What exactly is Mello doing here so late? This isn't your bedroom.. you know that, right?" It was difficult not to sound annoyed with the way Mello was acting, sneaking into his room this time of night was unnerving behavior at best.

"I'm not an idiot, Near." Mello spat, glaring at the small boy sitting on the bed. "I couldn't sleep, kept thinking about our.. Unfinished business." It wasn't a complete lie, but there was no way Mello would admit to the alternative 'I couldn't stop thinking about _you_.' The look Mello was giving Near was downright predatory. He looked like he could pounce at any moment and devour the smaller male. It would have struck fear into the heart of any of the dimmer students at Wammy's House, but if did so to Near he didn't show it.

"I see. So Mello came to hurt me again did he?" Near looked tired and bored, voice flat as was typical of the albino. The most reaction he had, if it could be called that, was to rub the sleep from his eyes in preparation to have a truly restless night. Perhaps it was that which made Mello so irritated with him. He just let it happen, didn't even try to fight him off, not even when he drug him out of bed and tossed him over to where the elaborate dice tower had been built earlier. Robots were strewn about the room by the sudden motion and Near landed awkwardly on his back, catching himself with a now carpet-burned elbow. "You said I couldn't get a reaction out of you, Near, but I won't give up so easily. I'll break you out of that lifeless doll-mask you keep up so dearly if it's the last thing I do, understand that, princess?" Mello's voice was dripping with bitterness and anger when he spat out the pet-name "princess" which only seemed to slip when Mello was at his worst.

Near could only stare up at the threatening figure which loomed over him, threatening to do whatever it took to pry a reaction out of him. As terrifying as that should have been for someone his size and as defenseless as he was, Near couldn't will himself to feel scared and he wondered if it was this which stirred up such unrivaled anger in Mello. Perhaps his lack of fear set the older boy off, so used to being able to run anyone off, make anyone tremble for fear of being harmed. Near did not fear this, if Mello felt the need to harm him it must be for good reason.

So he resigned himself to this. "Mello. Hit me if you have to." Near muttered, looking up coolly at the blond male standing over him so dominantly.

Those seven words were all it took to set Mello off again and Near was jerked off the floor by his shirt and thrown against the wall were he slouched back to the ground slowly, mostly unfazed. "Is that all Mel-" The albino's words were cut short, Mello had went down with him, pounced, and had his hands around that pale throat, making speech impossible. "I don't _have_ to do anything, Near. Don't act like you understand this, I'm not someone you can unravel and find a pattern in. I'm not a damn puzzle you twit!" Mello was doing that angry-crying thing he did when he felt defeated, his tears falling onto Near's cheeks. "You can't understand me.. You can't, okay?" Mello shouted, letting go of Near's bruised neck, leaning back to sit on his heels over the smaller male's chest.

"That.. Was uncalled for. I shouldn't have choked you.. Near.." Was that resentment in Mello's voice? No, he couldn't actually be sorry, he was never sorry. It was unheard of. Plus, he was still sitting there, watching him with some unreadable expression.

It was more likely he would just hit him again, right? "Mello..?" Near tried, unsure if he should try to talk him down or not. He hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment, gathering his strength and usual calmness.

"Shut up."

Near waited with his eyes screwed shut, expecting another painful blow to his shoulder or chest but what came was much less expected.

A kiss. Was that what that was? Near wasn't sure. Mello's lips on his? A taste of chocolate lingered even after Mello pulled away and left the room, faster than a summer storm, not so much as a word on what had just happened.

Near hesitantly touched his lips, finally opening his eyes, sitting up slowly and staring at the door. Mello had kissed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days of awkward tension passed before Near found words to express what happened between Mello and himself.

The first day was the easiest. For Mello. The blond simply returned to pestering Matt, finding no problem in acting like the events that took place the night before could just be pushed out of his mind and out of existence for that matter. It was a simple task to ignore his problems when he had Matt to distract him. Mello could just sit back and observe his best friend's gaming while it was an entirely different game that he was playing Near. It was no secret that he played this game well.

Near didn't leave his room the first day, he refused to, not ready to face Mello when he didn't even know what to tell himself. Instead he spent the entire day building, destroying, and rebuilding card towers, playing with his snowy hair and expecting an explanation to come to him. He told himself that as soon as he understood what happened that night he would leave his room and face Mello head on. It wasn't that easy, however. Turns out explaining a kiss from your closest rival who typically preferred violence over anything more civil was no simple task, like solving an advanced calculus equation. No, calculus could just be mulled over in the back of one's mind while doing other things. Mello was not so simple, no solution was coming.

Perhaps a puzzle was what Near needed. Mello said he wasn't a puzzle for Near to solve but it seemed more fitting so a blank puzzle he became as pale fingers grasped at pieces for nearly an hour before giving up. It was growing late and no solution was in sight, Near's frustration was the only thing evident at this point as he ditched the unfinished puzzle and leaned back. Near starred at the ceiling and wondered when the solution would come to him, it was never so difficult for him to understand something. He hated not knowing how he was supposed to feel, even if he would normally opt to remain stoic and calm outwardly. He always knew how he should feel in a given situation.

But now? He just felt lost.

Mello didn't notice Near's absence the first day, in fact he barely thought about Near at all, a relief compared to the constantly nagging thoughts about him the blond had been experiencing just days before. It had been driving him mad and he knew he wouldn't have been able to stand it even a single day longer.

Wait. No, no way. Near was _not_ having that much of an effect on him, what a ridiculous thought. Mello scolded himself for even entertaining such a pathetic notion. It was nothing but that Albino's fucking annoying personality, or lack thereof, that was getting to him and it hadn't been bothering him _that_ badly. No fucking way.

…Or so Mello told himself.

The second day Near left his room only because Roger made him. The stubborn old man wasn't the most understanding and didn't want to hear any of Near's made-up-on-the-spot excuses for not leaving his room the entire previous day. So Near sat in the corner of the common room, eyes on his cards. Dexterous hand worked to place the card together to build towers, making them only as tall as he could reach from his place seated on the floor. The Albino half wished he could hide behind the cards and go unnoticed but, when Mello walked by him without a word, he regretted that wish bitterly. Mello walked by his elaborate towers of cards without so much as a sideways glance at the small boy huddled behind them. He joined Matt on the couch at the opposite end of the room, talking to the other as naturally as ever.

Near took note of how Matt glanced over in his direction, expression unreadable. He silently wondered how much Mello told him, what they were talking about now, if they were talking about him. It was becoming harder than expected to act normal when all he wanted to do was stare across the room at Mello and his video gaming friend. Near settled for adding to his card towers on the side facing the couch, that way he could peek through and watch the others while looking only minimally suspicious.

"Are you crazy Matt?" Mello practically hissed at his friend who had just suggested he go talk to Near if he had such a problem with him. He was half tempted to punch the idiot for that one. Matt just shrugged like it really didn't matter to him and handed Mello a chuck of chocolate, broken off of a bar kept in his pocket, as an offering of peace. "Fine, suit yourself Mels." Mello snatched the chocolate out of Matt's hand, glaring daggers over at the white-clad figure hiding behind a fragile tower of cards.

"Look Matt, the damn freak is probably staring at us right now, god I hate him.." Mello motioned discreetly at the corner of the room, making Matt glance over in Near's direction. "How can you even tell, Mello? I can't see him straight through all of those cards and I doubt he can see us either." Matt frowned, looking back at Mello who was angrily chewing on the chocolate he had previously given him. "I just know he is. Damn albino freak.." The blond was fuming, that much was obvious, but Matt just snorted and went back to his game. It would pass.

The next day went just as stressfully and uneventfully as the last for both Near and Mello. It was not until the middle of that night, the third night since Mello had last burst into Near's room, that something happened. Mello got tired of playing Near's game. He decided if Near was going to brood over it and hide behind his card walls that he was going to have knock them down himself. He couldn't decide why it bothered him so much, Near refusing to react to what he had done, but he knew he needed to get something out of the boy and fast.

So it was déjà vu for them both when Mello threw the door to Near's room open, and then slammed it closed, storming over to the bed where Near lay, desperately pretending to be asleep. His assailant didn't fall for it. Near was torn from his bed, kicking and wriggling, grasping at the hand gripping the collar of his shirt. This alone prevented him from being thrown across the room.

"What the hell do you think you've been doing?! Staring at me across the room, locking yourself in here… What do you want from me, Near?" His name spilled out of Mello's mouth like something toxic. "You think you're great, don't you, you fucking twit?"

"Actually, I don't, Mello." Near managed to gasp out, still shaken from Mello's surprise entry and assault.

Mello threw him down, Near landing on his tailbone. "What is that supposed to mean? You're number one, Near, in case you have forgotten."

"As if you would let me forget, Mello. Have you forgotten that second place is something to be proud of typically?" Wrong words, Near knew that as soon as they left his traitorous mouth. _'Not if it is second place to YOU, Near.'_ He thought the words before they ever left Mello's lips and he felt the blow to his left shoulder before he even saw it coming, before he hit the floor, and before Mello was on him, shaking him and half-whispering, half-screaming something Near couldn't quite make out in his current state of shock. Mello had hit him once before, yes, but this time had been in what could be no less than cold fury. Near realized he was _afraid._

 _'Afraid of Mello or of being hit again?'_

He didn't need the answer to that though, his hands flew up to protect himself from the incoming second blow, finally catching what Mello was saying. "See, that's exactly what I was saying! You act like your position is nothing to you! Don't you know how much it means to _me_?" A third blow was deflected. "You can be such an idiot sometimes, Near!" The white haired boy flinched away, expecting another blow to be aimed at him but Mello's fist made contact with the floor and in the next second his head was on Near's chest and he was sobbing. "I've fought my whole _fucking_ life for that title just to have it dangled in front of me by some stoic stupid robot-loving idiot!"

 _'Oh, colourful language, Mello…'_

"I swear I'm going to make you a human competitor if I have to hold your life in my own hands to do it, I'll take anything I can from you to get some kind of fucking reaction, you understand that, Near?" There it was again, his name must taste foul on Mello's tongue, the way he scowled when he said it.

"In fact… I know what to take from you, Near. Something I won't be able to give back no matter how much you _beg._ "


End file.
